Hush An Irish Princess' Tale

       Donna Jo Napoli did a great job in writing this novel. An Irish Princess, Melkorka, was taken abroad in a slave ship by Vikings. She lives a life as a slave without saying one word. 

       I gained the moral of this story on the first couple of chapters. Melkorka looked at slaves different. She really didn't have no respect for them. Then, as she was escaping her arranged marriage, daddy's orders, a viking ship happened to sail by and return, surprisingly and captured her as a slave. However, them still not knowing she was a princess. As they say "what goes around, comes around." Karma hit Melkorka in this novel pretty hard, I mean yeah karma is everywhere, but I felt kind of bad knowing that at the end of the novel she still hasn't seen her family and remained a slave.

       As I read, I kept thinking: Melkorka really hasn't hard and karma isn't backing up yet.

       Then again, after months passed people do get used to their surroundings and things end better than they were when you were first held captive. I, literally, have no idea what it feels like to be captured, beaten, forced to do things I can never imagine, but mentally I have. 

       Things come and go and most of the time we all focus on the bad things that happen to us. I was going through an event in my life that I will never forget. I was held captive by depression against my own will. I remember it like it was just yesterday. Not only was I going through this but so was  my mother and my brother. As a family, its harder to see that when one person falls short, the head, then everyone else, as the body, collapses. It was like we had a storm coming in our lifes for months. Yes, there were times we went out and had our laughs, but it was for a few hours a week. It was like our body was immune to happiness and our flesh penetrated everything that would put a smile on our face.

       Months passed and we became used to the fact that changes happen everyday and just try to make the best of what we have. Maybe sooner or later things can go back, but as of right now, we just have to ride the wind and sail through the waves. Being in captive is not much more as a barrier than life. We just have to hope for the best and figure out the best solution to be rescued.

Assignment #7: Self-Value

Jealousy is simply and clearly the fear that you do not have value. Jealousy scans for evidence to prove the point - that others will be preferred and rewarded more than you. There is only one alternative - self-value. If you cannot love yourself, you will not believe that you are loved. You will always think it's a mistake or luck. Take your eyes off others and turn the scanner within. Find the seeds of your jealousy, clear the old voices and experiences. Put all the energy into building your personal and emotional security. Then you will be the one others envy, and you can remember the pain and reach out to them. (Jennifer James)

    

     The last person that will always love you is yourself. Without yourself you are nobody. Jennifer James summarizes the whole main idea. Value yourself and look inside your heart. Understand that there is no one else in this world that dresses like you, acts the way you do, shares the same thoughts as you do, finds interest in things that no one else does. You will find things humorous that no one else will think its funny. Jealousy is never the answer. You will never know what that person is going through. Yes, that girl may look skinny or have beautiful hair, but what if her mom is taking drugs or her father is an alcoholic and/or in jail. Would you be jealous then? Do not look for the things you do not have in others, but rather the things that person doesn't have that you do have. I think that is what Jennifer is trying to say when she says "Take your eyes off others and turn the scanner within."

I know there are a lot of people who become jealous real easily mainly because the person him or her may like does not like them but rather their best friend. People become envious and resent ever knowing them. I feel bad, but that is when you really start realizing who that person really is the cause of low self-esteem and self-value. When you value yourself, it gives way for more opportunities in life. Loving yourself opens doors to things you never actually dreamed of doing. There are going to be barriers coming across your path, step over them and continue on your way. How can one love someone, when you cannot love yourself?  

I was one of those jealous-type of girls. I did not understand why I was the way I was and the 6^th grade girl sitting next to me in class looked older, more beautiful, and happier than I did. I could not concentrate because my guy classmates would always pull up a chair and talk to her. I sat there and I felt like crying because I never got that attention not even from the nerds in the class. I felt outlawed and unwanted. I slowly began to not give a flip about life and just try to face the fact that we are two different people and I will never come close to becoming her. With that on my mind, I started to forget why I was mad, why I was envious and blinded by this girl. I started to realize that yes, I will never become close to becoming like her because I’m much more valuable and beautiful to be jealous over someone who used people. I started loving myself more when I realized I don’t have to be her to get attention. As a matter a fact, my eyes were opened when I found out that I don’t need attention to feel wonderful.

 Days passed and felt confident about myself. Then one day, the guy that every girl fell for, came up to me and gave me a note. This is what is said:

“Hey…um…I don’t know if you ever noticed me, but I want you to know I always keep an eye on you. I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life. Please give me a call.  J” 

Assignment #8 The Necklace

The Necklace is a short story by Guy de Maupassant’s short story, it includes three literary elements that are mainly dominant. Although the author uses all of the elements, he focuses on three of them. I like that he really focuses on using irony in his short story, there are so many examples of it. He actually uses irony in the first paragraph, he says “With no dowry, no prospects, no way of any kind of being met, understood, loved, and married by a man both prosperous and famous, she was finally married to a minor clerk in the Ministry of Education.” I know that when the author uses the words prosperous and famous, the reader would expect the husband to be much more then just a minor clerk.

A main character is Mathilde, from reading this story with my class I've learned that the author intends Mathilde to be cruel and demanding. The girl Mathilde was one of those pretty and charming young girls who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks. When they all receive the invitation to the dance, Mathilde wants everything to look wonderful even though they do not have the money. She even uses the money her husband has been saving for a long time to go hunting with his friends.

I'm not going to re-tell the story or give away what happens but I will continue to mention my favorite parts.
I personally really liked the way the author elaborated on the literary elements. I think that in this short story there was a little bit of karma as well and i know not too many people noticed it. He used irony in the perfect way to surprise the reader at just the right time and i know we brought that up in class.

The author also makes the reader think about their own life and if they are similar to Mathilde. That is why I enjoyed reading The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant so much and I wouldn't mind reading another short story from our books in class. This author is an older author and I like how he can make young people like us think and use or heads to figure out what he has written that is hidden.